Igor Stravinsky

[LethalBunny]

Originally Posted by Boneman

I quite like Stavinsky's smaller works, his octet for instance is really great!

Any other examples of his smaller works?

[Ballaw de Quincewold]

Stravinsky and the word small just don't go together!

Joking aside, he did write a lot of shorter piano works. Also, Feu d'Artifice is an early orchestral work that only last about 4 minutes.

[Boneman]

Check out this page and you will see he did write for smaller forces.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...gor_Stravinsky

Scroll down past the bigger stuff

[some guy]

I recall reading that the famous riot in Paris was more for the sets and the dancing than for the music, which could hardly be heard over the rioting. Stravinsky of course wanted it to have been his music that so shocked the audience...

Otherwise, the Octet would have to be one of my picks as well, very cool way to do variations, and that ending... wow.

But I really think that aside from Les Noces, which I saw in 1972 in Stockholm, and, if Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra had not already changed my life forever, this ballet would have done so.

I'm a bit surprised that no one's put in a plug, until now, for the super stunner, L'Histoire du Soldat. Or maybe I'm not. The only entirely convincing performance of that I've ever heard was with the Boston Symphony Chamber players on a DG lp. Good luck finding that gem.

Otherwise, Movements is high on my list, as are Dumbarton Oaks and Orpheus and Persephone and oh my God, I just realized! I love all of Stravinsky!

[fundrazor]

The "riot" in Paris was a put-up job by Diaghilev to get publicity for the new ballet (and in which cause he was certainly successful). The "rioters" were a mixture of stagehands, students paid for the service and staff from D's hotel.

The only real revolt happened when the dancers first tried to dance to the music, many of them threatening to walk out saying the rhythms were impossible to follow.

[ttw]

I'm not much of a fan of Stravinsky's, however, I do have this story.

Some decades ago, my mother returned from visiting the Santa Fé
opera. She told me that she had been seated next to Stravinsky for dinner at La Fonda's dining room. The chatted for a couple of hours. I asked how she had managed that trick. She just said, "Five dollars to a headwaiter works wonders."

[fundrazor]

Originally Posted by some guy

I'm a bit surprised that no one's put in a plug, until now, for the super stunner, L'Histoire du Soldat. Or maybe I'm not. The only entirely convincing performance of that I've ever heard was with the Boston Symphony Chamber players on a DG lp. Good luck finding that gem.

I own it - is it really that rare? Now that I have my USB turntable, shall I record it to disc and sell it on Ebay? Strangely, however, I greatly prefer the London Sinfonietta with Kent Nagano version - truly magnificent with Vanessa Redgrave as the Devil.

[reith]

I have to confess never getting on with Stravinsky apart from the Rite of Spring, the Cantata - to a lesser extent, the Symphony of Psalms. The rest seems to be insomnia treatment. About the Rite, it's a masterpiece of composition and orchestration though, having studied the score in detail it looks like he could have simplified the placement of bar lines. I have nothing but admiration for Monteux giving the first performance. Must have been a nightmare for both him and Diaghilev.

[some guy]

Kent Nagano, eh? I'll have to check that one out. Thanks. (Left to myself, I avoid Nagano, having gotten some yawners from him. But I'll give this one a listen.)

[Drego]

Anything I've heard from Igor Stravinsky is limited to what bits and pieces of the "Rite of Spring" appeared in Michael Tilson Thomas' documentary, Keeping Score, but from that alone, I have to say that it is an absolute masterpiece.